Council OKs parking modification for Community Supper Club at 206 S. Public Road

On May 6, 2025, the Lafayette City Council approved Resolution 2025‑26, granting a parking modification request for Community Supper Club at 206 South Public Road.

Stephen Williams, Lafayette’s planning and building director, said the request responds to a proposed enclosure of an existing patio and to changes in an off‑site parking agreement with the adjacent property owner. The property is roughly 7,000 square feet with a 2,700‑square‑foot building; the proposed conditioned patio adds about 260 square feet, which triggers an administrative site plan amendment and a parking analysis.

Williams told council that a 2016 planned unit development approved a 50% parking reduction at the site, allowing nine spaces where 18 were required. The applicant said a subsequent lease with the property to the north provided off‑site spaces, but after a change in building ownership the number of leased spaces was reduced. The Community Supper Club presented that it currently uses space that, in total, provides seven parking spaces for its operations; under current code the site would require 20 spaces to cover both the restaurant and the addition.

Scott Skiba, operations partner for Community Supper Club, explained the practical lease situation to council: the prior owner’s lease included an addendum for additional spaces that was not carried forward in the new owner’s lease, and site changes during the COVID period reduced interior customer seating. “We’re not trying to go over what our initial approval was for guest count,” Skiba said. “We’re just actually making it enclosed…we’re literally just trying to actually enclose our front patio so we can regain some of that initial that we are approved for table space.”

Staff evaluated the application under Section 20‑6‑210 of the municipal code and concluded the proposed change would not measurably increase existing impacts. Williams summarized that the applicant’s busiest hours differ from most neighboring businesses—lunch peak roughly noon to 2 p.m., dinner around 5 to 7 p.m.—and that the requested modification is consistent with code criteria for a parking modification in a pedestrian‑oriented downtown environment.

Councilors asked questions about the durability of off‑site parking arrangements and the risk if the neighboring property’s lease terms change; Skiba acknowledged the risk and said the configuration reflects historic practice and the site’s constraints. Mayor and councilors said supporting downtown activation and pedestrian‑friendly design weighed in favor of granting the request.

A motion to approve Resolution 2025‑26 passed unanimously. Council directed staff to record the updated off‑site parking agreement and proceed with the administrative site plan and building permit work needed to conditionally enclose the patio.